warm up routine?? (part ii)

Back when I first started blogging in August 2014, I sought to leverage all the experience and knowledge within this wonderful little community by asking how everyone goes about their warm up routine.

outdoor riding pics are comin back!

The feedback was awesome and I got a lot of really great ideas for experimentation. It was particularly interesting how varied everyone's different approaches were. And, in retrospect, my own warm up process has evolved considerably since then too, for a few reasons.

First and foremost: the passage of time. We have been attempting to approach something resembling 'dressage' for just under two years now. And FINALLY I feel like we have very real moments. Like it's happening - we're not just faking or playing 'dress up.'

Other reasons for the shift include changing trainers (we <3 dressage trainer C!) and growing stronger as a team through experience and miles, learning what works better on any given day.

So what does my warm up look like these days?

walking ftw

Generally, when possible, we free walk on the buckle for at least 5 minutes, usually closer to 10. Occasionally up to 20 (time permitting) if I think Isabel is tense or cold backed. There is a very real difference in her back after 20 min too. She will swing and stretch down, and is less likely to resist when I pick my reins up.

This also provides the perfect opportunity for me to assess myself.

• Where is my seat? Are my legs already clamped in a death grip on Isabel's sides, or are they loose and mobile? 
• Can I take my entire leg from hip to heel off the saddle completely, feeling my seat really come into contact with Isabel's back, but still push my big toe into the stirrup? 
• What's my torso doing - are my shoulders slumping or am I tall and open through my core and chest?
• Am I looking up? Am I carrying tension anywhere? Do I need to loosen up my arms and shoulders a bit? 

Etc etc, you get the picture. 

Next is typically the first snag in our warm up: picking up the contact at the walk. Still haven't figured out how to do this consistently without Isabel bracing against my hand and dropping her back. We're working on it tho. Experimentation is the name of the game!

starting on that trot

Once she's soft to my hand in a good working walk - tracking up but not over-tracking - we'll go into trot. This first transition is still usually hollow. I don't fuss much with it, but will take more care with transitions later on in the ride. 

Then: we trot trot trot! Starting with circles usually, then going large, then a diagonal and repeat in the other direction. Start some shallow leg yielding, perhaps a serpentine or two. Another change (or four) of directions. See which side is stiffer than the other. 

This initial portion of trotting is intended to be ridden a little deeper than how I'll finish the ride, and we may even try for a bit of stretchy trot, depending on how Izzy feels. If she's a little tense and against my hand, probably I'll save the stretch for later in the ride, maybe the end.

mare means business about that canter haha

When I feel pretty good about the trot we'll move right into canter. Typically one circle, then maybe a long side or full lap large around the ring. Change directions and repeat. My goal for this first bit of canter is to soften Isabel's back. So it's typically very straight forward, as we'll usually revisit the gait later in the ride.

Then a walk break, concluding the warm up phase before moving on to the 'meat' of the ride. 

If things have gone well up to this point, I might be thinking about what movements/figures we want to practice, or which gait I want to work in. Since it's been warm and Isabel hasn't let her winter coat go yet, I've been focusing on either trot or canter rather than both. 

If things have been kinda iffy or gross, then we'll just keep doing more of the same lol. Generally, tho, that's how we will spend the first 15-25 minutes of a typical dressage school. 

trail riding is also an option when things are otherwise crappy haha

The craziest thing to me is that this current warm up looks an awful lot like an entire ride from two years ago haha. And sometimes that's really kinda all we achieve. Especially bc sometimes I run out of ideas. Like, huh, ok, horse is good. I guess we're done here? 

Lately tho, there's always more to practice. Maybe lengthenings. Canter trot transitions. Or sitting the trot. Longer leg yields. Halts. Smaller circles. Shoulder in (gasp!). Still perhaps pretty basic stuff, but it's fun to start growing a little tool kit for different things to try haha. 

But anyways, since I'm getting the distinct impression that our 'typical' warm up will always be constantly evolving, I want to ask the audience again: How do YOU usually plan out your warm ups? Or do you even usually have a plan? Are there certain signs you look for in your horse that indicate he's ready for heavier work? Or that he needs more warm up? 

isabel wants you to teach me all your secrets to be a better rider lol

Really I'm just super curious! So please - tell me all about it, either in the comments or maybe in your own post?